Club Call

Deirdre Corrigan presenting Conail Cooper with the John Corrigan Trophy for first Slaney Olympic clubman home in the recent Dublin City MarathonMyles Gibbons of S.B.R. on his way to finishing 32nd in the 2016 Dublin Marathon

Newbawn darts: We are back! The Newbawn Dart Club season is back with a bang next Wednesday, November 9, with one practice night before the real business begins the following Wednesday.

To all of our regular members and any new ones who might like to test themselves against some of the best throwers in the country, there are a couple of changes to note.

The biggest change is that we have a new home for the moment as Foley's isn't quite yet ready for business and we will now be in the Horse and Hound in Ballinaboola in what will be an excellent venue.

The club would really like to thank Brendan Murphy and the Murphy family for helping us out and for the welcome afforded to us from the start.

As usual all names need to be in for 9.15 p.m. for the open draw, with play to commence at 9.30 p.m. sharp. New members, as always, are very welcome and club membership is only €10 for the season, with a €3 entry fee each night you play.

Cash prizes are up for grabs every Wednesday night, and with the finals day added in we are looking at a prize fund of well over €2,000 for the season.

The ladies' section will once again be to the fore and we would ask all players to be ready for an 8.30 p.m. start.

Last season's league winner was Jeff Nolan, and I am sure he will be out to put up a strong defence of his title, as will Jack Farragher who was our finals day winner. Both of the lads will need to be on top form though as there are a lot of super players waiting to take their place.

A huge thank you also to Charlie Bradley and Thomas Delaney who have gone above and beyond in their generosity by sponsoring a new set of dart boards for the start of the season. The club appreciates the gesture as I'm sure the players will as well.

Finally, I would like to thank Kay and Nicky White for all of the help and support they have given in the last few years with the club.

The club members wish them all the best for the future and I am sure we will them soon. Many thanks to you both, and we appreciate everything that you did for us.

WORKMAN'S CLUB

The A.G.M. of the New Ross Workman's Club will take place on Thursday, November 24, at 8 p.m. The club is now open to new members and was initially formed in 1899.

The club currently has 38 members consisting of seniors, and juniors aged between 14 and 17 years. Facilities include two snooker tables, dart room, pool table, T.V. room with Sky Sports and refreshments of tea, coffee and soup.

If parents are looking for a safe place for their children, the Workman's Club is just the spot. Membership is only €50 per year for seniors and €20 for juniors.

Lights for the table are only €3 per hour. Anyone interested in becoming a member can call into the club for membership or contact 087-614801 or 087-9116992.

The Stafford Fuels snooker final took place in the Workmen's Club between Jason Moran (19) and John Bennett (20). The first frame was poor with both players failing to find rhythm and the potting left a lot to be desired.

Bennett took an early lead, and as hard as Moran tried he couldn't peg him back and Bennett went on to take the frame 46-17.

The second frame was a bit closer, but not great snooker to watch. Moran started well and it looked like he could take the frame, but he started missing pots and Bennett capitalised on his mistake and won the frame 49-34.

The third frame was the most one-sided frame. As hard as Jason tried, he could not get his game together. His safety play left him down and even simple pots were missed; it was like he was frozen in time.

When on his game Jason is a very good player, and this was his second consecutive final to lose. Bennett went on to win the frame and match 72-29 and 3-0.

The club would like to thank Stafford's Fuels of Raheen for their generous sponsorship. Referee was Liam Connolly, and marker was Tony Bennett.

KUNG FU, KICKBOXING

The members of the high performance class of the Wexford Kung Fu and Kickboxing Centre had their final training session last Friday in preparation for the W.K.K.C. world kickboxing championships.

This year's event takes place in the City West arena, Dublin, and hopes of a big medal tally are high. With a combination of experienced and two first-time international competitors making up the eight-strong squad, they are hoping to continue their success of recent years.

World champion Dale White moves up to the men's Senior division, and this will be a test Dale will savour as he has been performing exceptionally well at international event around the world this year. He will be determined to bring at least one gold back to Wexford.

Girls' world champion Anna Nolan will be hot favourite to retain her titles this time around, and she has her sights set on matching her double gold success from Florida last year.

Rebecca Rowe will be hoping to advance past the bronze medal position in the girls' 15-17 years section this time around, and by her current form this is a very achievable ambition for this experienced competitor.

Darren Hayes took silver in the boys' section continuous last year in Florida and he is improving all the time, so he will be aiming to go one better this time out on home soil.

Michelle Casserly made a return to international competition last year with a bronze medal in the ladies' section. Michelle has been fighting extremely well lately and will be a strong contender this year.

Mark Rowe has been a consistent high performer in the men's veterans' section, and his focus will be to do better than his previous achievement of bronze medal position. Judging by his preparation this year, he will be a fighter to be reckoned with.

The two new members of the squad - Cathal Moran and Nathan Casserly - both ten years old have a real enthusiasm for competition. Their energy and passion will hopefully outweigh their lack of international experience and give them a solid foundation for many years of future success.

The club's fundraising committee would like to sincerely thank all their sponsors and the people of Wexford for their very generous support throughout the year.

SLANEY OLYMPIC A.C.

The back lounge of Donohoe's Bar was full to capacity Bank Holiday Monday night for the annual presentation to the first club man and lady home in the Dublin Marathon.

The John Corrigan Trophy was presented by Deirdre Corrigan to Conail Cooper for the first clubman home in a time of 2.41.29.

The Teresa and Joe Cash Trophy went this year again to Julie Kirwan for the first club lady home in a great time of 3.08.29.

Well done to everyone who took part and got their hands on the coveted medal.

Will Doyle was first home for Slaney, and third overall, in the latest Johnstown Castle Parkrun in a great time of 18.53. Also taking part were Catherine Murphy (20.51), Sabina Sweeney (21.50), Ciara Kearney (23.12), Joe O'Regan (27.01), Michelle Doyle (27.24), Andy Staff (27.24), Kay O'Regan (28.26), Irene Foley (30.04) and Hilary Mullen (37.02). Well done all.

There is a new format for the Christmas Cracker. The distance will be somewhere between three and four miles. You will be told the exact distance at registration.

Predict your own finishing time to the nearest second. No timing devices are allowed during the race, i.e. watches, mobiles or other time devices. The winner/winners will be those nearest to their predicted time.

The prize-giving and refreshments will be at the I.F.A. Centre, Mill Park Road, Enniscorthy, after the race. It's open to all including non-members.

S.B.R. A.C.

This past weekend was a rare quiet weekend for S.B.R. athletes. David Leonard was the bright light for the club and celebrated his 45th birthday in style with a 18:18 5k Park Run in Wexford which was good for second place out of 146 runners. Well done David!

We missed two big results from Sunday week's Dublin Marathon. S.B.R's Liam Breen made his debut in a smashing time of 3:48:38 which placed him in the top 25% of all finishers and was a brilliant result in his first marathon. Liam has been running for nine years now and placed very well in the men's Over-55 age category.

Pedro Calvo also ran a terrific race to finish in 2:44 which was a very well-run race. Congratulations again to all 28 S.B.R. runners who completed the Dublin Marathon. Well done everyone!

Training continues for cross-country with the Wexford Senior championships to take place on December 18. Runners are meeting in Ferns on Tuesday and Thursday nights. For more information contact Lukie Kehoe (087-3222914).

If anybody is interested in joining S.B.R. and would like more information, please contact our Secretary, Louise Kehoe, on 086-8276661, or our P.R.O., Jim O'Malley, on 087-7559683.

ENNISCORTHY HOCKEY

Enniscorthy Hockey Club ladies' seconds travelled to Kilkenny College on a crisp, sunny afternoon to face South-East League stronghold Kilkenny firsts on Sunday.

A quick-paced game had both sides on their toes from the start. Kilkenny were strong on the attack but Ilsa Flynn and Róisín Ó Muirí worked together flawlessly to keep the favourites from scoring.

It took a short corner for the home side to score their first goal. Aoife Foran and her strong defence line didn't make it easy for them however, with Serena Hatton stopping a sharp shot on goal and being injured in the process.

The girls played on however and were not put off by a series of short corners, with Aoife Foran making a brilliant save as Kilkenny attempted to jab the ball in at the side of her goal.

A rebound saw our goalie making a fantastic slide to ward off the ball on the far side of the goal. Kilkenny had another short corner but the Slaneyside defenders kept them wide and that's where the home side's ball went too.

Eleanor Bolger's hit-out saw the ball travelling into Kilkenny's side of the pitch. Fabulous running from Niamh Buttle and Alice Doyle brought the ball up the field. The girls were on a run with Avril Buttle supporting and moving the ball on nicely towards the Kilkenny goal.

The Model county hit back hard, smashing the ball back to their side of the field. Enniscorthy defenders faced down some tough shots, stopping the ball and deflecting it.

The shots were coming thick and fast, with several going way out of bounds, high above the goal as the Enniscorthy defenders blocked hard shots.

Another short corner against Enniscorthy saw Aoife Foran on the ball, stopping it with her knees. Eleanor launched the ball out again and fast play ensued, with Róisín Ó Muirí winning a free for Enniscorthy.

The ball was launched out again, and Fiona Breen and Fiona Rothwell made speedy progress down the field. The ball was passed to Caroline Doyle who continued to move it at great pace. Alas, the home side were ready and kept them back.

A tough but high tempo game saw Enniscorthy on the wrong side of the scoreline, but the players are not discouraged and are now focusing on their upcoming match against Gorey.

Gorey ladies travelled to Kilkenny in search of a win to keep their ongoing winning streak intact in Division 2 of the Leinster League.

Going into the game Gorey were aware this would be a good indicator of how far they had come in the last number of weeks. The game was played in challenging conditions with a strong wind present and the cold making handling the ball difficult.

Despite playing against a strong wind, Kilkenny started the better and had a long period of pressure inside the Gorey half. Some strong defensive work from Gorey prevented Kilkenny from putting points on the board.

After the robust defensive effort, Gorey launched their first attack and gained some much-needed territory. From their first foray into the Kilkenny '22 they were awarded a penalty after some strong carries from the pack, which Róisín Murphy slotted over the bar.

Kilkenny then again applied pressure on Gorey but the defence held firm until half-time.

Gorey made a bright start to the second-half with some strong carries from Caoimhe Molloy and Dee Farrell. After a period of pressure Gorey were awarded a penalty just outside the Kilkenny '22 which Lauren Farrell took quickly. She followed up with a strong run and dived into the corner to score what proved to be the only try.

The game continued with both sides applying pressure. The Gorey forwards made some excellent carries with Anna Nolan, Susie Griffiths and Dawn Tully making strong runs.

However, handling errors and strong defensive effort from Kilkenny prevented Gorey from getting more points on the board.

On a day when neither side managed to make use of a strong wind, Gorey kept Kilkenny at bay and held on to take a vital win on the road with a final scoreline of 8-0.

The Gorey J2s were in action on Saturday against Malahide, and despite putting up a great battle they came out on the losing side on a score of 31-0.

The much bigger and more experienced visitors were up against a Gorey side which featured largely an Under-20 team and, despite the scoreline, they never gave up.

It took until the 30th minute for Malahide to crack a resolute home defence, as Gorey showed great tenacity but also showed a willingness to run when the chances arrived. This young team will develop and it augurs well for the years ahead.

Next up for Gorey is an away trip to Ashbourne.

Enniscorthy got off to the perfect start in this local J3 derby against Gorey by scoring a try in the corner within the first few minutes, which was quickly followed by another one.

Gorey battled on and it wasn't long before their hard work paid off. Gorey won back the re-start and spread it wide, with winger Shane Grannells showing some magic feet to beat the outside men and start a run from his own '22.

The Enniscorthy full-back did just enough to deny Shane who in turn popped it to Seán Murphy for their first try.

Enniscorthy came back and scored their third try from the back of a scrum and they converted. The Gorey forwards were starting to dominate with some excellent work from Richard Jones, Eoin O Scannail and Andy Embley.

With minutes to Gorey scored and Stephen Byrne converted. Gorey had one last attack but hats off to the Enniscorthy men on a solid defence.